Living in a collective housing center is not easy for anyone. And especially for children, who need a safe environment to regain a sense of stability after having gone through difficult experiences. Lack of privacy and personal space, as well as witnessing their parents’ stress and problems, can lead to the development of unhealthy coping strategies.
When we opened a day care center in a newly established accommodation center for people from Ukraine, we sought to create a space where young people can feel safe, seen and important. The day care center provides support to about 30 children with refugee experience between the ages of 5-13.
The first six months of the day care center’s operation have been a time of building relationships with the children and their parents as well as working with the adaptation difficulties they face. Relationship building is crucial for a child to have the courage to talk about their problems and get help, such as intervention at school.
The day care center is also a place for learning, exploring and developing interests, and having fun. During these six months, we have completed more than 150 hours of educational, language and art activities, as well as several excursions, confectionery workshops and team-building meetings.
So what’s next? Ahead of us are winter holidays for which we have many activities planned. And then another semester of learning and accompanying the youngest ones in school challenges and any other challenges they want to share with us.
The activities of the day care center in the period November 1, 2024 – April 30, 2025 were supported by a grant of PLN 245,000 from the US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, received in a competition organized by the Stefan Batory Foundation in cooperation with IOM (International Organization for Migration).